Terror lent wings to Kurozane's feet. He didn't look back, didn't dare to see if anyone was pursuing him. All he knew was the chilling cold that still clung to him, the lingering sense of the terrifying power that had erupted from within, and the horrified faces of Kael and his gang.
He plunged into the dense woods bordering the village, the familiar paths quickly giving way to tangled undergrowth and the oppressive silence of ancient trees. Thorns tore at his clothes, branches snagged in his hair, but he didn't slow down. Each snap of a twig underfoot, each rustle of leaves, sent a fresh jolt of fear through him.
He ran until his lungs burned and his legs ached, finally collapsing behind the thick roots of a massive oak, hidden from any potential pursuers. He gasped for breath, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
The broken pieces of his grandmother's carving were still clutched tightly in his hand. He looked at them, the smooth wood now fractured and useless. A fresh wave of grief washed over him, mingled with the raw fear of what he had done – what it had done.
He hadn't meant to hurt them. He just wanted them to stop. But the darkness that had exploded from him was violent, uncontrolled, and utterly terrifying. Was this a part of him now? Was he a monster?
As the initial panic began to subside, a new kind of fear took its place – the fear of the unknown. He was alone in the vast, shadowy woods, a place whispered to be home to strange creatures and forgotten magic. He had no food, no supplies, and no understanding of the terrifying power that now resided within him.
The shadows around him seemed to deepen as twilight descended, and the familiar sounds of the forest at night began to emerge – the hoot of owls, the chirping of insects, the distant howls that sent shivers down his spine. But now, these familiar sounds were overlaid with a subtle hum, a vibration in the air that seemed to resonate with the coldness still lingering within him.
He instinctively huddled deeper into the roots of the oak, seeking some semblance of comfort in the darkness. He had no idea where to go, what to do. The life he knew, the simple, quiet existence with his grandmother, was likely shattered forever. He was a pariah now, marked by a power he didn't understand and a fear he couldn't escape.
As the first slivers of moonlight pierced through the canopy, casting eerie patterns on the forest floor, Kurozane closed his eyes, exhaustion and despair washing over him. He was alone, afraid, and carrying a darkness that felt both alien and intrinsically a part of him. His flight into the shadowed woods was not an escape, but a descent into a new, terrifying reality.